


So Close...

by Sylthfarn



Series: Despairing Vacation [4]
Category: AI: The Somnium Files (Video Game), Granblue Fantasy (Video Game)
Genre: DV verse, DVtober, M/M, im. Sad, minor appearances by canon charas and ocs, this is literally a killing game setting it's sad, this takes place in...
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-18
Updated: 2020-10-18
Packaged: 2021-03-09 01:09:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,183
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27076270
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sylthfarn/pseuds/Sylthfarn
Summary: In the midst of a killing game, after finding himself to be a victim, Date regrets not being able to be happy with the people he loves. He tries to fix it the only way he knows how—by jumping through timelines until he finds one with a happy ending.
Relationships: Date Kaname/Grimnir (Granblue Fantasy), Grate (Relationship)
Series: Despairing Vacation [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2059197
Comments: 5
Kudos: 6





	So Close...

**Author's Note:**

> if you're reading this and you're not from DV  
> 1\. grate (grimnir/date) is the best date ship. and the best grimnir ship. ever. i make the rules.  
> 2\. ummm cheesed to meet you? dv is a killing game rp group. yeah. 
> 
> this was written for dvtober and i cried a lot

_You're in my arms_  
_And all the world is calm_  
_The music playing on for only two_

It was quiet that night, as Kaname held Grimnir in his arms. Perhaps _unnaturally_ quiet, considering so many people had been poisoned. But for once—just once—Grimnir's excess energy was gone long enough for them to share a moment. He was asleep, blissfully unaware of anything that happened in the waking world. But at the moment...nothing had seemed out of place. 

Kaname pressed a gentle kiss to Grimnir's hair, which caused Grimnir to shift slightly in his sleep. Normally, Kaname would whisper reassurances to lull Grimnir back to sleep. Without his voice, he couldn't, so instead he held Grimnir just a little tighter.

_So close together_  
_And when I'm with you_  
_So close to feeling alive_

It was warm...comforting. Kaname couldn't genuinely name a time before all of this that he'd felt so _loved_. And he wished with all his heart it could last. But he felt the dread creeping over him, inexplicable...consuming...grabbing him by the heart and refusing to let go. The only way to save people—to save _Two_ especially—was for him to die. He closed his eyes, and wished for just a moment this could have lasted longer. 

Kaname gently extracted himself from Grimnir's grasp, pressing one final kiss to his boyfriend's forehead as he silently slipped out of bed. He pulled the blankets over Grimnir, tucking adorabbit in as if it would take his place. Maybe he wouldn't be gone all that long. Hopefully. He would be right back.

_A life goes by_  
_Romantic dreams must die_

If Kaname had any ability to speak in the moment, he thought he would have lost it upon seeing Tao and Osomatsu standing over Penny's body. The feeling of dread was growing stronger, paralyzing him and making him unable to think rationally. What should he do? What _could_ he do? Penny was already dead, what would they do to him if they found out he'd seen it? He tried to back away slowly, but his foot scraped over loose gravel, causing Tao to immediately look up at him. 

It would have been nice to go back to bed with Grimnir that night. Even nicer if he had never left at all. 

His heart was pounding in his chest, up until the moment it stopped beating; he looked up at Tao as she stood over him with one of Penny's swords. Despite getting a horrible feeling he couldn't shake that this was coming, he didn't...he _couldn't_ … Not when Grimnir was—

"Please," he choked out. 

A single word before his death.

He didn't want to die.

_So I bid my goodbye_  
_And never knew_

Kaname realized after his death that he had regained the use of his voice, but it didn't make him the most vocal person still. His death _hurt_ too much. It felt like pure agony, waiting for someone to find him—only for Grimnir to have to leave and someone else brush off his death entirely. 

As a spirit, he resigned himself to hanging around Grimnir as much as possible (which was apparently what Pewter had been doing as well). It was nice, in a way, to have them both back. But call him selfish...he didn't want it like this. He didn't want to resign himself to being _dead_. And so, as the trial commenced to find his murderer, Kaname thought about what he could do. 

ESP, he had been told. The ability to retain memories from and jump into alternate timelines. Every timeline he'd been able to see so far was one that was now impossible, because Pewter was alive. But was there one with Grimnir as well?

_So close, was waiting_  
_Waiting here with you_

The trial continued for a while, everyone pressing Osomatsu for information, as he'd locked himself in Kaname's office following his death. Kaname sat next to Grimnir for a majority of the trial, wishing he could comfort his boyfriend more than just a ghostly touch or kiss. 

They had been so close, hadn't they? To reaching the end of this game? ...And then...Kaname had to die. He hated it. He hated it more than anything, and closed his eyes, hating himself for regretting mistakes that weren't even his fault. 

_And now, forever, I know_  
_All that I wanted_  
_To hold you so close_

He would fix this. Kaname knew he had the ability to, but how could he do it? How could he find a timeline where they lived—happily? It was frustrating, to say the least, having no idea how his powers _worked_ aside from vague instructions. Could he even activate them after death?

There was really only one way to find out. 

He concentrated, reaching out to the memories of another timeline—willing himself to _be_ there. Select a point before his murder. Go there, and stop it from happening. And then...be happy together.

_So close to reaching_  
_That famous happy end_  
_Almost believing_  
_This one's not pretend_

When he opened his eyes again, his instant reaction was to put a hand to his chest and feel his own heartbeat—reassurance that he's alive. _He's alive_. It was some point before his death in his original timeline, but he couldn't be sure exactly when it was or what would happen next.

"Kaname?" Grimnir asked, giving him a concerned frown. "Are you alright?"

He opened his mouth to respond, but hesitated. What had happened so far in this one? It was one thing to jump to a timeline he was _familiar_ with, but this was like jumping into the ocean in the middle of the night. He couldn't see where he was going, and one wrong move could be his undoing. He had to gather his memories...think about what had been happening just before he found himself here. 

"Yeah, sorry. I'm fine," he finally managed to say. 

This was already a better timeline. Grimnir hadn't tried his fruitless escape. Kaname hadn't lost the use of his voice. When he glanced down at his hands, there were no bruises to be found. Perhaps he'd had a better birthday…

Grimnir was still frowning at him, looking unconvinced. He leaned forward, pressing his forehead against Kaname's. It was a familiar gesture, but it took him by surprise. He blinked in confusion as Grimnir stayed there a moment longer before pulling away. 

"Hmm...you don't have a fever. Maybe you should go to bed early tonight just in case?"

His smile...it was so familiar—so warm. Kaname didn't want to think anything of it. But something in Grimnir's eyes seemed off. He couldn't exactly pinpoint _how_ , but it was unsettling. And yet...he chose not to think about it. He chose to close his eyes and look away, as if closer scrutiny would shatter the happiness they could have in this timeline. 

Kaname accepts Grimnir's suggestion, heading to bed early with his boyfriend, content to remain in his embrace the entire night. But perhaps that's _why_ he woke up suddenly, finding himself alone in Room J. Grimnir had been so warm, why had he left? The spot on the bed beside him held only the barest hints of residual heat, meaning Grimnir had been gone for some time. It was concerning, to say the least. With a frown, Kaname forced himself out of bed, rubbing his eyes in a desperate attempt to focus.

There was no note, no text, nothing to indicate where Grimnir could have gone. As loathe as he was to wander the halls of the Future Foundation in the middle of the night, he also felt he had no choice. Had he gotten up for a snack? A drink of water? Perhaps he was in his office? 

With several possible options in mind, Kaname descended the stairs to the first floor, intending to check anywhere around there before looking on upper floors. But when he got to the first floor, he paused, hearing noises from the garden. 

_Don't look. Don't look. Just walk away. Don't look. Don't look._

He stepped into the garden, as if being driven by a force he couldn't control, expecting to see the familiar scene of Tao and Osomatsu standing over Penny's dismembered body, but praying it was something more innocent, like Two playing with Loona. What he saw instead caused him to freeze, choking back a cry and putting a hand to his mouth to stifle any noises that tried to come out, unbidden.

It was worse than he could have possibly imagined. He felt dizzy, lightheaded. What he was seeing—it couldn't be real, could it? There had to be an explanation—it _couldn't_ be what it looked like. He took a shuddering breath, trying to regain control over his body before he was noticed. 

A step backwards, creating the sound that haunted his nightmares, loose gravel over pavement. Everything was going just as it had before, except—except—

"Kaname, what are you doing out of bed?" Grimnir asked, his tone holding an unusual edge. The red of his left eye glowed in the darkness, piercing through Kaname's chest and pinning him in place. 

"You...you killed—" Kaname's voice came out as a hoarse whisper, his mind still trying to process the scene in front of him.

Penny laid immobile on the ground, no light behind her eyes as she stared lifelessly at Kaname, the bracelet on her wrist blinking red. Beside her were Osomatsu and Tao, similarly still, their clothes drenched in blood.

"They were fighting, I just did what I had to," Grimnir said, narrowing his eyes at Kaname. "What are you going to do?"

"I...I can't—"

"You tried to take the blame for Pewter, but you won't do the same for me? He killed _five_ people, Kaname. This is only three."

Wordlessly, Kaname shook his head, unable to force thoughts to form in his head. Why had Grimnir done this? What had happened? What about their happy ending?

Grimnir sighed, adjusting his grip on his spear, which Kaname only now noticed was covered in blood. He choked on his breath, taking another step backwards and wondering who he could call for help. Olivia? Was she a good choice? That's who he'd wanted to contact before, but—

"You know, I am highly disappointed," Grimnir said, and in a flash he was in front of Kaname, his spear ready beside him. "I didn't want there to be _four_ murders tonight. If only you hadn't interfered...we could've lived happily ever after."

Kaname tried to run, but before he had a chance, a familiar pain erupted in his chest, and he couldn't help but choke now on the blood that spilled from his mouth. He couldn't move, as Grimnir had pinned him to the wall with his spear. Why was this happening? This wasn't right—this wasn't what he'd wanted! _He couldn't die here, not at Grimnir's hands._

Grimnir pulled his spear back out, and Kaname crumpled to the floor, unable to support his own weight. He stared imploringly into Grimnir's eyes, but there was nothing there. No glimmer of the man he loved. What had happened? Why…?

He reached out with his mind, searching for another timeline. A _better_ timeline. Once he found one, he let out one final breath, and Kaname disappeared from both that timeline and the world of the living once again. 

_And now you're beside me_  
_And look how far we've come_  
_So far we are, so close_

"Tomorrow's the mastermind trial, huh?" Grimnir said, putting his chin in his hand as he pensively watched Iris playing with a piece of string on the floor of Kaname's office.

 _Is it?_ Kaname wanted to ask, but...he already knew that. Somewhere… Yes, the _real_ mastermind. The one responsible for the killing game and controlling the fake Oswald. 

"Yeah. We've...come so far," Kaname said quietly. "Unbelievable... we'll make it out together."

"Don't jinx it," Grimnir said, giving Kaname a playful nudge with his shoulder.

Kaname didn't say anything in return. He didn't really know what _to_ say. The pool of suspects was rather small, assuming...assuming his memories are right, and the people left are the ones he can think of, and not the ones from his original timeline. He wondered about the real Oswald. About how Grimnir would feel about him now. They'd barely had time to meet in the beginning before everything went so horribly to shit. 

"Don't...do anything dangerous," Kaname said instead. 

"I won't," Grimnir promised, leaning over and giving him a kiss. 

_Oh how could I face the faceless days_  
_If I should lose you now_

He promised he wouldn't, so why was Kaname kneeling in the hallway, holding Grimnir in his arms?

He could barely think or breathe, he heard voices telling him _something_. Comforting him? Telling him to let go of Grimnir? But he couldn't. _He couldn't_. His breath caught in painful sobs, his tears falling to Grimnir's face and mixing with the blood that had fallen like tears from his own eye. The bracelet on his wrist with a code that Kaname had struggled so _hard_ to protect Grimnir from blinked a mocking red, indicating its wearer had violated the code forced upon them.

Percy and Shades are apologizing, but their voices were difficult to hear, their words impossible to understand. He heard it in their tones, but he couldn't focus. Instead, he held Grimnir tighter to his chest, wondering who he was supposed to blame for this. Was it still _her_ even? Was it someone else? His timeline hopping had an affect on his memories, which were now further muddled with grief.

"Kaname...you have to let him go," Olivia's gentle voice said in his ear, but he shook his head.

 _"This wasn't supposed to happen,"_ he sobbed. _"Why didn't I save him? How can I go on without him?"_

The answer…? He wouldn't. He would find another timeline. A _better_ timeline. He had to get it right. He had to try again. 

_We're so close to reaching_  
_That famous happy end_  
_Almost believing_  
_This one's not pretend_

"Tomorrow's the mastermind trial, huh?" said Grimnir, and his words echo in a brief moment of deja vu for Kaname. 

They were walking down the hall, however, so the difference overrides the familiarity. Grimnir wouldn't die by his code. He wouldn't die at all—this had to be the right timeline! 

But something felt off. Kaname didn't exactly feel like himself. He felt...weirdly empty. When he looked at Grimnir, his heart didn't well up with the love and affection it normally did. Had something happened between the two of them? It was such a peculiar feeling...like he was inside someone else's head—merely a guest along for the ride rather than fully in control.

"Yeah," Kaname heard himself say. "What do you think about those clues?"

His words made Grimnir pause, and he looked back at Kaname with a strangely unreadable expression. There was something on his mind. Kaname desperately tried to remember what the clues were, but he didn't _know_. Something was preventing him from remembering. 

"I...don't know," Grimnir said, his gaze dropping to the floor instead of meeting Kaname's eyes. "I've tried to _not_ think about them, to be honest. It's just that…"

Instead of pressing Grimnir for more information, which is what Kaname _thought_ he wanted to do, he found himself stepping closer, putting a gentle hand on Grimnir's arm. 

"Do you trust me?" Kaname asked, his voice soft and sincere.

Grimnir frantically looked back up at him, his eyes wide. Usually, Kaname would feel himself unable to hold back a smile. But now...now there was nothing. Why was he still talking to Grimnir like there _was_ something? 

"Of...of course I do," Grimnir stammered. 

Kaname felt himself reach into the folds of his coat for his hidden weapon, while at the same time pulling Grimnir into an embrace.

"Pity that was a mistake," Date said, and a loud _bang_ rang through the hallway as he shot Grimnir in the chest. Directly in the core.

He watched, impassively, as Grimnir fell to the floor, his core shattered beyond repair. It had been a mistake for him to trust Date. A mistake to tell him about how his core worked. A mistake to think Date _loved_ him. Date tucked Evolver away, and stepped over Grimnir's body, ignoring how his wide eyes were now tinged with the pain of betrayal.

"It was a mistake to love me," Date said casually, and continued his leisurely pace down the hall. He'd put up a show for this long, surely a trial wouldn't be too much more effort, now would it? Besides, seeing the life drain from Grimnir had given him _such_ a mood boost.

_Let's go on dreaming_  
_For we know we are_  
_So close, so close_  
_And still so far_

The trial...well, it was entertaining, to an extent. Eventually, though, Date found himself growing bored. He sighed as he leaned against his podium, chin in hand.

"Alright, I've heard enough of your blathering and going around in circles," he said, rolling his eyes. "I did it. I killed Grimnir—with this gun."

He pulled out Evolver, showing it to the few left in attendance at the trial. Pity he hadn't forced more of them to finish each other off. But he would take what he could get at this point. 

"He...trusted you, and you _killed him_?" Della asked, looking horrified.

Of course she did. Hadn't Grimnir been like a son to her? ~~But that wasn't it—she was like a mother to him too—~~ Date only shrugged, offering her a lazy smirk.

"Well that was his mistake. A mistake to trust me. A mistake to love me." Date sighed dramatically, shaking his head. "Just mistake after mistake—should have been called the God of _Mistakes_ , not War."

"Shut up!" Olivia snapped. She looked absolutely livid, and turned her attention to Willie. "Can we vote yet? I've heard enough."

Kaname doesn't hesitate to vote for himself, and it seems the vote amongst those still alive is unanimous. 

**DATE KANAME, THE FORMER ULTIMATE PSYNCER HAS BEEN FOUND GUILTY.**

This was a long time coming, and even though Kaname felt _horribly_ lost—stuck inside someone that he couldn't recognize as _himself_ —he was still ready to accept his execution, and prepared to jump to another timeline. A better one, if he could find it. But... How much longer did they have to go? How many more timelines would he have to go through in order to find one where they can live happily? 

_Let's go on dreaming_  
_For we know we are_  
_So close, so close…_

He didn't care how long it took. He couldn't stop. He _wouldn't_ stop. It could be the next timeline, it could take him a lifetime of timeline hopping to find it—but he _would_. He wouldn't give up until he found it...their happy ending. 

_And still so far._


End file.
